EFTA00075113 Case C1a1520v07433IoAPmDocument10782520Filed96729/20agPage1209f 161 NEWS # When will feds arrest Jeffrey Epstein ‘fixer’ Ghislaine Maxwell? By Ben Feuerherd May 28, 2020 | 4:17pm | Updated Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Nine months after Attorney General William Barr warned that Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirators “should not rest easy,” the pedophile’s alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, remains at large — and is using a potential criminal investigation to thwart civil action against her. Maxwell is currently a co-defendant in several civil cases brought by alleged Epstein sex-trafficking victims. Among them is who claims in her suit against Maxwell and the proprietors of Epstein’s estate that she was lured to his New Mexico ranch as a teenager and sexually abused by the pair. According to the suit, Maxwell allegedly forced to undress in view of Epstein after promising to give her a massage. "Maxwell touched intimate parts of body against her will for the sexual benefit of Maxwell and Epstein," the suit states. "Maxwell exposed breasts and groped her," it adds. EFTA00075114 # Case C1a1520v07433DcAPmDocument010782520Filed90729/20agPage130f 161 Through her attorney, Maxwell has sought to depose Maxwell and have her respond to written questions related to the alleged sexual abuse. Ghislaine Maxwell Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images But the former fixer has successfully dodged a grilling in the case, citing an ongoing criminal investigation into co-conspirators of Epstein — all while not admitting she herself is being probed by the feds. An investigation into Epstein's accomplices was alluded to by Barr days after the pedophile's suicide in a Lower Manhattan lockup, and has been mentioned repeatedly by the US Attorney's Office in New York, according to court filings. A spokesperson for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on the investigation. Maxwell’s attorney cited the investigation in an effort to block her testimony in the Farmer case. SEE ALSO Ghislaine Maxwell wins questioning delay in sexual battery suit “The Southern District of New York has publicly and repeatedly announced its ‘ongoing’ criminal investigation into alleged Epstein ‘co-conspirators’ on the same topic as Plaintiff alleges in this case,” Maxwell’s attorney wrote in a May 13 letter to Manhattan federal Judge Debra Freeman seeking to stay discovery in the case. "Denial of a stay, particularly a stay of Ms. Maxwell’s deposition, pending outcome of the criminal investigation could impair her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination," added her attorney, Laura Menninger. Farmer's attorney, David Boies, noted in his response that Maxwell has not publicly admitted she herself is the center of a federal investigation, but is nevertheless using it to shield herself. "Maxwell has provided no information about the subject matter of the criminal investigation into Epstein’s co-conspirators, the status of the investigation, or even disclosed whether she herself is a target of the Southern District's investigation," Boies wrote. SEE ALSO
Epstein investigators contacted by 'dozens' since his death
EFTA00075115 ## Case1520v07433LoAPmDocument010782520Filed96729/20agPage140f 161 "When Plaintiff's counsel asked Maxwell's counsel for information about the criminal investigation during their meet and confer, Maxwell's counsel refused to provide any details," he added. Freeman agreed Maxwell could potentially incriminate herself by giving a deposition and ordered that she not be required to sit for one as part of the suit. — ADVERTISEMENT — Maxwell, who is apparently in hiding, has not given testimony or a public statement since Epstein's arrest and suicide. Attorneys for Farmer and Maxwell did not immediately respond. | FILED UNDER | GHISLAINE MAXWELL, JEFFREY EPSTEIN, LAWSUITS, SEX TRAFFICKING, WILLIAM BARR, 5/28/20 | | :--- | :--- |